Light in the Sky 1: Heart of the Flame
by iceflowerwarrior
Summary: The four clans have been living peacefully for moons, but when venomous snakes suddenly attack warriors and kill them off one by one, how will the clans survive? Can someone save them, or will the clans be destroyed forever?
1. Prologue

**This is my first fanfic – enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own warriors. :( All I own is the characters/clans and the plot.**

**_Allegiances _**

**Note: For this story, MoonClan is in replace of StarClan.**

**DewClan**

**Leader**: Treestar – long-furred pretty light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Stormpaw

**Deputy**: Stormcloud – dark grey tom with green eyes and a brown marking on his tail

**Medicine Cat**: Streamtail – light silver she-cat with silky fur, light blue eyes, and wavy black stripe running down her tail

Apprentice: Gorsepaw

**Warriors**

Lightspirit – pretty calico she-cat with amber eyes and a white tail and underbelly

Apprentice: Patchpaw

Flowingsong – beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat with warm amber eyes and white tail

Apprentice: Ivypaw

Spottedfrost – pretty calico she- cat with light blue eyes and a snow-white muzzle

Goldenfur – pretty golden she-cat with one light brown eye and one green eye

Dappleface – golden she-cat with light brown eyes and brown dapples on her face

Swiftvoice – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes and one golden paw

Skynight – black-grey tom with green eyes and a ginger ear

Burningfoot – dark ginger tom with black leg and paw

Branchfur – light brown tabby she-cat [long-furred] with blue eyes and a white patch on her flank

Stonescreech – light grey tom with amber eyes and a brown tail

Woodshadow – brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a light grey ear

Flameheart – handsome ginger tom with warm green eyes and barely visible darker ginger splotches

**Apprentices**

Gorsepaw – brown tabby tom with amber eyes and grey stripes; Streamtail's apprentice

Patchpaw – light brown tabby tom with amber eyes and dark brown patches; Lightstep's apprentice

Stormpaw – dark grey tom with blue eyes and light brown stripes; Treestar's apprentice

Ivypaw – light grey she-cat with blue eyes and a brown spot on her forehead; Flowingsong's apprentice

**Queens**

Icefrost – beautiful pure white she-cat [long-furred] with a blue eye and a green eye; expecting Flameheart's kits

**Elders**

One-ear – elderly dark brown tom with only one ear; renamed after he lost his ear to badgers, green eyes

Noscent – oldest cat in DewClan; grey tom with blue eyes and no sense of smell; renamed after he lost his sense of smell when he was injured badly as he fell off a cliff

**GrassClan**

**Leader**: Meadowstar – brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and very long legs

**Deputy**: Rosepetal – red-brown she-cat with green eyes; loves to sniff rose petals

**Medicine Cat**: Shiningfur – beautiful silver she-cat with shining fur and dark blue eyes

**BreezeClan**

**Leader**: Brightstar – ginger and white she-cat with blue eyes and bright orange ears

**Deputy**: Woodpelt – dark brown tabby tom with green eyes and black tail

**Medicine Cat**: Hummingfoot – light brown she-cat with amber eyes and loves to run [she's also fast at it!]

**ShadeClan**

**Leader:** Nightstar – dark tortoiseshell tom with green eyes, looks a lot like the night sky with stars

**Deputy: **Creampear – cream-coloured tom with light green eyes and slightly greenish paws

**Medicine Cat: **Oceanreed – blue-grey she-cat with ocean-blue eyes and a reed-like tail

Prologue

The creature watched from the rocks,narrow yellow eyes watching carefully for a chance to strike out. A lithe grey cat stood by the entrance hole, not having a clue that he was about to be a snack for the snake.

Suddenly, a cloud floated over the moon, darkening the camp. The cat looked up in surprise, staring at the cloud with deep thought. _Now! _thought the snake, and just as the cat turned his head, the snake leaped up, massive jaws met the vulnerable neck, and the cat fell to the floor, bright red liquid flowing from his neck, mouth open in a silent yowl, eyes wide with fear and shock, and it moved no more.

The snake rolled the cat towards the rocks just as the cloud moved away, but another head poked through a bramble den. Silently, the snake left his kill, slithering quickly but silently to the nearest rock. Just as it slithered into a crack, a yowl of fury and grief echoed through the forest, hurting the snake's tender ears.

"Stormcloud!" Flowingsong pressed some nearby moss onto Stormcloud's wound. "Oh, please, no….. Streamtail! Come quick!"

As the silver cat emerged from her den, a cloud moved over the moon once more, and Streamtail looked up in shock.

"Streamtail! What are you looking at?" Flowingsong tried to push Streamtail towards Stormcloud again, eyes pleading the medicine cat to heal her mate.

Streamtail shook her head. "He cannot be saved, Flowingsong. He is already with Moonclan."

"NO! He can't be!" Flowingsong yowled in grief.

"That was an omen," Streamtail said quietly. Her eyes turned unfocused and her paws shifted. "_The snake will stalk its prey, but it will be consumed in the heart of the flame, and the prey will live in peace for many moons to come,"_ she said in a low monotone.

"What do you mean?" Flowingsong questioned curiously.

"Never mind. I-I'll have to speak to Treestar," Streamtail answered nervously, returning to her normal voice. "But beware, Flowingsong; it might be anyone next."

**Hope you enjoyed! Sorry about the short chapter. ****I'll try to make them longer! Please R&R :) I'll try to update soon!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Flameheart blinked his eyes open. The first rays of dawn fought into the bramble den from the small entrance. _Today will be a warm day_, thought Flameheart.

It was four days since Stormcloud, the former deputy had been killed by a snake. He sighed, shaking his thoughts away. You could guess that he, Flameheart had been appointed afterwards. There had been shock in every cat that night, for Flameheart never mentored any cat before! He still wasn't used to the fact of being deputy. There was a lot of responsibility in the job!

The first thing Flameheart thought as he stepped outside was to visit his mate, Icefrost. She was expecting his kits! A group of warriors standing near Droplet Rock (named for its shape and sparkling surface, looking like a drop of dew. This was where Treestar addressed the clan and held ceremonies. Her den was next to a bush in the shadow of the Droplet Rock) made him think better. Oh, of course, the patrols! He groaned inwardly.

"Who's going on the dawn patrol, Flameheart?" Swiftvoice's fast mew reached Flameheart's ear.

"Um, let's see; Skynight will lead the dawn patrol, going with Lightspirit, Branchfur, and Patchpaw. Swiftvoice will lead a hunting patrol, going with Woodshadow and Goldenfur. Burningfoot will lead another hunting patrol, going with Branchfur and Stonescreech," Flameheart answered quickly.

"Flameheart, you put Branchfur on two patrols; she can't split herself in two!" yowled Stonescreech (he loved to screech, too).

"Oh, um, that's right, t-thank you, Stonescreech. Branchfur, you go on the ShadeClan patrol, and, um, well, let's-"

"I'll go on the BreezeClan patrol," Dappleface offered.

"Oh, thank you, Dappleface." Flameheart blinked at her with gratitude. "Then, that's settled. You can go now." Flameheart sighed. He had made that mistake two times before already.

As the cats went about their duties, Flameheart hurried to the fresh-kill pile, hoping to find a decent piece for Icefrost. If not, he would quickly hunt. Unfortunately, he was suddenly interrupted by Streamtail.

"Hello, Flameheart," she meowed.

"Hi, Streamtail," Flameheart replied quietly.

"Flameheart, come to my den; there's something I needed to tell you."

"Can't it wait? I want to visit Icefrost right now."

Streamtail shook her head. "It's important," she replied.

Sighing, Flameheart followed Streamtail into her den. It was a peaceful, dark den with a clearing for herbs and sick cats and a little stream running through. The sickly sweet scent of herbs reached Flameheart's nostrils.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" asked Flameheart.

"On the night when Stormcloud died, I received an omen," she began.

"So what does that have to do with me?" Flameheart asked curiously. Inside, Flameheart was itching to go to Icefrost.

Streamtail grew wary. She trembled a bit, and then spoke in a low monotone: "_The snake will stalk its prey, but it will be consumed in the heart of the flame, and the prey will live in peace for many moons to come."_

Flameheart was silent. This was not what he expected. "Does it mean.....me?" he asked very quietly and fast.

"I don't know," Streamtail answered in her normal voice. "I...I don't know why I wanted to tell you, either." She shifted her paws uncomfortably. "Um... I need to go talk to Treestar."

"Okay." Flameheart quietly left (yes, he always loved to be quiet). As he picked a vole for Icefrost, he couldn't stop thinking about what Streamtail said.

Flameheart quietly entered the nursery. Icefrost seemed to be sleeping, but when Flameheart entered the nursery, she sat up and purred.

"Flameheart! It's good to see you again. How were the patrols?" Icefrost meowed happily.

"Um, well, they were fine, I guess, apart from the fact that I placed Branchfur on two patrols," he replied.

Icefrost shook her head sympathetically and sighed. "That's what you always do!" she purred playfully.

"I guess," Flameheart sighed, laying down next to his mate and grooming her ears.

"What's wrong? You seem unhappy today," Icefrost mewed worriedly.

"I-I'm fine, Icefrost. Just thinking about.....Stormcloud," he lied, shocked that he would lie to Icefrost.

Sadness appeared in Icefrost's eyes and a soft sigh escaped her mouth. "Flowingsong has still been grieving for him," she meowed quietly. "She won't even speak to me."

"Oh, sorry," Flameheart apologized quickly. The two sisters were closer to each other than to Lightspirit and Spottedfrost.

"It's okay," she replied, shaking her head. "Anyways, want to share?" Icefrost pulled the thrush closer to them.

"Sure!" Flameheart replied. He sighed inwardly. Icefrost always forgot about unhappy subjects easily. He wished he could. "You can have the first bite."

"Thank you," Icefrost blinked thankfully at him.

Paw steps were heard just as Flameheart stood up to throw the bones and feathers away. Gorsepaw, Streamtail's apprentice poked his head in.

"Icefrost, I've brought you borage for your milk," he meowed.

"Oh, yes, the bitter borage again." Icefrost rolled her eyes, but Flameheart could tell that she was purring inwardly.

"I'll be back after a hunt," Flameheart meowed, giving Icefrost's ears a lick. Yes, that was it. A hunt would clear his mind.

"Okay," she replied. "Bye!"

Flameheart exited the den and slipped outside of the camp. He buried the bones next to a small bush, and headed towards the Ghost Tree (not a ghost, but a dead sycamore that fell over; sycamores are white). At this time of year, all the prey took shelter in the hollows of the tree. He passed the abandoned twoleg place, and after giving it a careful sniff to make sure it wasn't sheltering any snakes (snakes loved to hide here, and DewClan was very careful now that one had been brave enough to venture into their camp and take a cat for prey), Flameheart reached the dead sycamore.

Silently, Flameheart opened his mouth and scented the air, and immediately, the smell of rabbit hit his scent glands. Quietly he crouched down, and with his belly fur nearly brushing the ground, he swiftly moved towards his target. Not long after, Flameheart saw his prey; it was nibbling grass next to some ferns. Flameheart would have to be careful; the prey couldn't run into the ferns, or the sound would alert all the other creatures, too. He jumped out and surrounded his prey, and for a moment the rabbit didn't notice, but then, when it did, the rabbit desperately tried to run into the ferns, but Flameheart caught the rabbit's ear, and swung it around and around, making it dizzy. Then, he threw the rabbit on the ground and swiftly bit the poor creature's neck.

Quickly, Flameheart buried his prey carefully; this vole was big enough to feed both of the elders, even though they might think not. The elders were very concerned about what they were eating, especially Noscent, who couldn't smell. Noscent always relied on his dentate, One-ear to check his prey. The two elders acted as if they were close brothers! As Flameheart opened his mouth to scent more prey, he detected something else – badger – and it was fresh and close, too!

**I'm sorry that the chapter was so short again! This time, I promise I'll make it longer! Again, please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**This was a longer chapter! Six pages on Word and 2,254 words!**

**Chapter 2**

Frozen with terror, Flameheart heard something: a low moan, but not from a cat; it was from the badger! Curiously, he silently and swiftly moved towards the badger scent, and to his horror, a huge snake, possibly the same one that killed Stormcloud, was dragging a dead badger away!

Staying out of sight, Flameheart followed the snake; he had to know where its burrow was to tell the clan. The snake slithered across the forest floor, seeming to head towards the abandoned twoleg place, but as the snake neared the twoleg place, it made a sharp turn and instead headed away, going towards a large tree stump.

Suddenly, the snake slithered to the back and disappeared. Holding his breath, Flameheart went to the other side of the tree stump to find a large hole, and a tunnel was visible enough to show that the path sloped downwards. Flameheart stood sill for a moment, wondering if he should follow the snake. _No, _he thought. _I should tell the clan first. If the snake kills me, nobody will know about the tree stump. _

As Flameheart started towards camp, he thought he scented more than one snake in the burrow. He gave the entrance another sniff, and, sure enough, more than one scent mingled in; actually, there were three! Horrified, he loped back to camp, only stopping to pick up the rabbit he had caught earlier today; the clan had to hear about this immediately. They couldn't afford to lose any more cats!

As Flameheart entered the camp, he dropped his rabbit off at the fresh-kill pile and went straight to Treestar's den.

"Treestar?" he called.

"Flameheart? Come in," she answered.

Flameheart announced his news right as he entered the den. "Treestar, as I was hunting, I scented badger, but as I followed the scent, I saw a snake dragging a dead badger away, so I followed him. The snake went into a hole in a tree stump, and when I left to tell you, I scented that there wasn't just one snake; there were three!" he finished, and stopped to take a breath.

Treestar stared at him in shock and horror. "A-are you s-sure? S-snakes don't usually live together," she stammered nervously. Flameheart nodded.

"They might not live in the exact same living quarters, but I am positive that there were three different snake scents. The tunnel might divide into three paths, though, so each snake has their own den."

"Well, if so, we need to tell the clan immediately." With that, she ran out of her den and jumped easily onto Droplet Rock. Flameheart hurriedly followed.

"All cats old enough to exit the camp gather beneath Droplet Rock for a clan meeting!" The familiar sound of the gathering message rang in every cat's ears.

Soon, cats emerged from every den; the warriors came out from their clump of ferns, the elders from their bush, the apprentices from their tree stump, Icefrost from the bramble nursery and Streamtail and Gorsepaw from their part of camp separated from ferns. As the clan settled, Flameheart hurriedly padded over to Icefrost.

"Hi, Flameheart!" she purred a greeting, settling down next to him and leaning into his fur.

"How are you doing, Icefrost?" he greeted back.

"I'm fine, but these kits are growing big; I can hardly stand up!"

Flameheart purred, giving Icefrost a lick on the ear.

"Do you know what Treestar is going to announce?" Icefrost asked.

"Wait and see," Flameheart replied. "But it isn't any good news."

Icefrost didn't argue and looked expectantly up at Treestar; every cat was doing the same thing.

"Today Flameheart found a snake carrying a dead badger while hunting today," Treestar began. Eyes turned on Flameheart. His fur burned with embarrassment, and gave his chest a quick lick to hide it. "He followed the snake to its den, a tree stump next to the abandoned twoleg nest-"

At the mention of the nest, several murmurings rippled through the clan. Treestar waited for the murmuring to stop, and began again.

"As I was saying, Flameheart followed the snake to the tree stump. But there is more bad news than just one snake; there were three snakes in the den," Treestar continued.

Yowls of panic and terror erupted throughout the clan, and Treestar had to yowl, too to get the cats' attention. "Do not worry though, we will be extra careful. The patrols will be doubled, all patrols will check near the tree stump no matter if the patrol is a hunting patrol or a border patrol, to go out of the camp there has to be at least three warriors, three warriors have to remain in the camp, we will send out more hunting patrols, the medicine cats will collect more herbs, and the barriers will be reinforced. We will start now." With that, Treestar leaped off Droplet Rock and went to her den.

Immediately, the warriors and apprentices gathered around Flameheart. Icefrost stepped out of the way and returned to the nursery. Disappointed, Flameheart turned to the cats looking expectantly at him for something to do. Nervously, Flameheart began.

"For the sunhigh patrol, Flowingsong leads, going with Ivypaw, Goldenfur, Skynight, and Stonescreech. The hunting patrol will be lead by Dappleface, going with Branchfur, Skynight, and Swiftvoice. Burningfoot will keep watch. The rest of us will collect brambles to reinforce the camp. We will start now." This time, there were no mistakes, and no cat doubted Flameheart's judgment. Every cat was united against the threat of the snakes.

DewClan was in full preparation for the estimated guess of a snake attack. If the snakes attacked, they would be ready for them.

As Flameheart went out with the others to collect brambles, his sight lingered on the spot the badger had been killed. The smell of badger was still fresh, and blood was still on the floor. The cats stiffened and looked on with Flameheart.

"Is this where you saw the snake kill the badger?" Spottedfrost asked him curiously.

"Yes," Flameheart replied. Changing the subject, he meowed, "Let's go to the Emerald Meadow. Brambles grow right outside of it."

The others nodded, and followed Flameheart towards the grassy clearing the clans called Emerald Meadow. DewClan and BreezeClan had been fighting over that piece of land for many moons, and they still were to this day. Spottedfrost and Lightspirit must have known that, too, for they pricked up their ears and went up to the border to make sure that it wasn't moved or trespassed over.

After the inspection, Flameheart lead them to a bramble patch to collect brambles.

"Don't get stuck in the bushes," Flameheart reminded Spottedfrost and Lightspirit, "or else you'll get a painful pulling as a punishment.

"We know," Lightspirit said, rolling her eyes (can cats roll their eyes?).

"Our mentors already gave us very long lectures about that before," Spottedfrost added jokingly.

"Okay," Flameheart purred in amusement. Icefrost and her littermates seemed to always have little jokes prepared for situations when they were needed or could be used. _It seemed to run in the family, for Burningfoot and Goldenfur were good-humored, as well,_ thought Flameheart as he carefully picked brambles with his teeth.

After there seemed to be enough brambles for reinforcing the dens, Flameheart and his patrol headed back. The camp looked better already; the fresh-kill pile was full, and the cats that had returned from patrols were weaving loose brambles into their place.

Flameheart dropped some of his brambles in an already big pile of brambles and helped around the nursery. He found a hole that was big enough for a snake to squeeze through, and immediately started patching it. _Out, in, out, in, _Flameheart thought. Just then, Treestar came up to him.

"Flameheart, I need to speak to you privately," she meowed.

"Coming," he replied, following Treestar into her den.

As soon as the two cats reached the darkness and quietness, Treestar spoke.

"I want you to search around the territory to see if there are any more snake dens," she started.

"Okay," Flameheart replied.

"There might be other snakes. If there is more than one snake, there might be more than one snake den. The snake scents you scented in the den might just be from a visit," she continued. "Don't tell any cat, though; we don't want more panic in DewClan. There is enough already."

"But don't you think if no other cat knows, they won't be careful and might stumble upon one and be even more horrified?" Flameheart argued.

"Are you questioning my orders?" Treestar asked calmly, grooming her back.

"N-no, Treestar, but-"he was interrupted by the leader.

"You do have a point, Flameheart, but don't you think the clan is careful enough?" she asked, glancing at the entrance where cats carefully weaving brambles into the barrier.

"Well, never mind, then. I'll go now," he answered.

"Thank you, Flameheart. While you're at it, don't forget to hunt! If the clan has to fight, they have to be strong and well fed!" Treestar called at Flameheart's retreating form.

"Okay!" Flameheart turned his head over his shoulder just as he left the den.

As he exited the camp, he saw Burningfoot, Icefrost's father, still guarding the entrance. "You can go now," Flameheart told him. "But tell Branchfur to take over and send a greeting to Icefrost from me!" he added. Relieved, Burningfoot padded away. "Sure, Flameheart," he replied and headed towards the lithe form of Branchfur. "Where are you going?" he called over his shoulder. "Hunting," was the reply. Satisfied, Burningfoot turned to Branchfur.

As Flameheart went through the forest, he decided to hunt first. Opening his mouth, instead he found the fresh scent of snake. Sighing, he decided that snake-burrow investigating was going to come first.

Sniffing at the undergrowth, he decided that the fresh snake scent was leading to the tree stump. Sighing, Flameheart opened his mouth again, trying to catch a whiff of a scent from a snake leading to another burrow.

Soon, Flameheart realized that he had found his way to the training meadow. There was a patch of soft grass that provided a great space for battle training. He saw Flowingsong and Lightspirit with their apprentices. Flowingsong wasn't doing anything, though. Lightspirit was helping the apprentices learn.

"Hi, Flowingsong," Flameheart greeted as he appeared from behind the ferns, inspecting the training.

Surprised, Flowingsong turned around. "Hello," she replied, looking down-hearted.

"What's wrong? You seem to be unhappy," asked Flameheart.

Flowingsong sighed. It sounded so much like her sister's sigh. "I'm worried about the snakes," she answered. "I don't want to lose anyone again."

_Of course_, thought Flameheart. _She's thinking about Stormcloud._ "The clan needs every cat to help with the preparations for a possible snake attack," he began. "If you want to revenge Stormcloud, don't be sad. It's been awhile since the snake came to camp. He will still be in MoonClan, watching over you."

"But I miss him so much," she replied sadly.

"You need to look to the future, Flowingsong. Your sister, Lightspirit can't train two apprentices. Ivypaw is your responsibility," Flameheart urged. "Icefrost really misses you. She looks down-hearted all the time because you won't talk to her. I know that you miss your mate, but I miss my family, too. You have to learn to accept the things that happen."

"I guess you're right," Flowingsong answered slowly. "I never thought of the family I still have. I've never thought about the fact your father died before you were even born, and your mother and littermates were brought down by blackcough. I feel sorry."

"It's okay," he murmured. "Why don't you go and help Ivypaw? She _is _your apprentice, after all. And Icefrost would be happy to see you, too!"

"Sure," she meowed. "Thanks for the help, Flameheart! Icefrost must really be lucky to have you as a mate!"

As Flowingsong left, Flameheart felt better now that Flowingsong wouldn't be mourning so much any more. As he tested the air again, he scented snake, and as he looked on the ground, he saw fresh cat blood!

**I hope you liked this chapter! :) Once you are done reading, please click on the gray/green button that says: Review this story/chapter, type a review, and click send. Thanks for your help.**


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